| Subject: | Re: Oil Pressure Lamp? Denoument. |
| From: | David Bjorkman |
| Date: | Fri, 11 May 2012 07:14:42 -0500 |
<div style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #000000; FONT-SIZE: 24px"><DIV><FONT size=2 face=Tahoma>Unless the inside of your engine compartment is as clean as a show car just out of an engine detail, there is certainly enough junk/conductive material in there to help make even distilled water conductive.</FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT size=2 face=Tahoma></FONT> </DIV><DIV><FONT size=2 face=Tahoma>Dave B.</FONT></DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV style="MARGIN: 5px 0px; BORDER-TOP: #bcbcbc 1px solid"></DIV><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: arial; COLOR: #000000; FONT-SIZE: 12px">On 05/10/12, <SPAN>Rocket J Squirrel<camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM></SPAN> wrote:</SPAN><DIV> </DIV><DIV style="FONT-FAMILY: arial; COLOR: #000000; FONT-SIZE: 12px">The warning light does turn on brightly, normally, with the ignition on<BR>before the engine has started.<BR><BR>Until I get evidence that says otherwise, I'm sticking to my hypothesis<BR>that it was a waterlogged oil pressure switch which trickled enough<BR>current to glimmer the LED. It don't take a lot of current to get an LED<BR>to gleam. Now the switch and engine compartment are fully dry and the<BR>lamp is back to behaving quite normally. The conductivity of the coolant<BR>may have been sufficient "insulation breakdown" to do this.<BR><BR>But you could be right. Wanna wager? Maybe a pint of local microbrew?<BR><BR>--<BR>Jack "Rocket j Squirrel" Elliott<BR>Bend, Ore.<BR>1984 Westfalia. A poor but proud people.<BR>1971 "Ladybug"-brand utility trailer ca. 1972 from a defunct company in<BR>San Clemente, Calif., now repurposed as The Westrailia.<BR><BR>On 05/10/2012 04:25 PM, Dennis Haynes wrote:<BR>> Does the Warning light turn on brightly with the ignition on before the<BR>> engine is started? If moisture can make a change in any electrical circuit<BR>> you have an insulation breakdown that needs to be addressed. Stop fooling<BR>> yourself.<BR>><BR>> Dennis<BR>><BR>> -----Original Message-----<BR>> From: Vanagon Mailing List [<A class=parsedLink href="mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com" target=_blank>mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com</A>] On Behalf Of<BR>> Richard Koerner<BR>> Sent: Thursday, May 10, 2012 6:08 PM<BR>> To: <A class=parsedEmail href="mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM" target=_blank>vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM</A><BR>> Subject: Re: Oil Pressure Lamp? Denoument.<BR>><BR>> I concur! Moderator David B. yesterday correctly diagnosed the faint dull<BR>> red glow in my oil pressure LED as possible moisture in the circuit; turns<BR>> out I had used a hose to gently wash off the engine compartment and must<BR>> have got some on the sender. Once engine came up to temperature, the<BR>> moisture evaporated away and so did my false indicator light.<BR>><BR>> Rich<BR>> San Diego<BR>><BR>> --- On Thu, 5/10/12, Rocket J Squirrel<<A class=parsedEmail href="mailto:camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM" target=_blank>camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM</A>> wrote:<BR>><BR>> From: Rocket J Squirrel<<A class=parsedEmail href="mailto:camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM" target=_blank>camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM</A>><BR>> Subject: Re: Oil Pressure Lamp? Denoument.<BR>> To: <A class=parsedEmail href="mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM" target=_blank>vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM</A><BR>> Date: Thursday, May 10, 2012, 2:45 PM<BR>><BR>> Wet oil pressure switch?<BR>><BR>> Yesterday we put new coolant into my 1.9. Using a "Libby Bong" one can get<BR>> quite a gusher out of the bleeder in the engine compartment. Coolant washed<BR>> over the oil pressure gauge sender and oil pressure switch which are moved<BR>> above the left head when using tencentlife's adapter setup, which I am.<BR>><BR>> Drove the van briefly yesterday, and there were no warning lamps, everything<BR>> read okay. But this morning, I needed to move the van a couple hundred feet<BR>> and the oil pressure lamp did not go out even though the oil pressure gauge<BR>> read normally. But the lamp was not on at full power, either: it was only at<BR>> half-brightness.<BR>><BR>> I had to run a bunch of errands in Mrs Squirrel's car in the morning, but<BR>> after lunch I brought the van back to the driveway, and the oil lamp was<BR>> quite dim, but not out. Turned off the engine, connected a voltmeter to the<BR>> switch's "hot" terminal and turned on the ignition w/o starting the engine.<BR>> Read about 0.5V. Started the engine. Read 10.5 volts.<BR>> Puzzled I check the dash lamp -- dark. Revved the engine to kick in the<BR>> alternator and the voltage rose to about 11.5 or 12V and the lamp, of<BR>> course, was dead dark.<BR>><BR>> Took it for a long drive, no sign of spurious lamp lightage.<BR>><BR>> It's my theory that the oil pressure switch was soaked with coolant and<BR>> offered a sufficiently low enough resistance to allow current to flow<BR>> through the lamp to cause it to partially light. Then it dried out.<BR>><BR>> Even though a brief check with an ohmmeter showed that a 50/50 mix of<BR>> G-05 coolant is about as conductive as distilled water, this is my story and<BR>> I'm sticking to it.<BR>><BR>> --<BR>> Jack "Rocket j Squirrel" Elliott<BR>> Bend, Ore.<BR>> 1984 Westfalia. A poor but proud people.<BR>> 1971 "Ladybug"-brand utility trailer ca. 1972 from a defunct company in San<BR>> Clemente, Calif., now repurposed as The Westrailia.<BR></DIV></div>
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